Carpet padding, or carpet cushion, is typically used (i.e., placed below a carpet) to make the carpet feel more comfortable, to act as a shock absorber for the carpet, to extend the life of the carpet, and/or to insulate the floor. There are several types of carpet padding that are currently used, e.g., waffle rubber, foam padding, rebond, slab rubber, fiber, berber pad, and frothed foam. There are several disadvantages with the use of many of these types of carpet padding. For example, the rubber used to make waffle rubber carpet padding is held together with clay type binders that break down with use. The use of foam padding typically results in the carpet moving up and down so much that the backing soon breaks down. Rebond carpet padding contains chemicals (e.g., butylated hydroxy toluene—BHT) that have adverse effects on certain carpets. The off gas from rebond has caused some carpets to exhibit yellow blotches on the surface of the fiber. This event seems to occur with commercial and Berber type carpets. Many carpet paddings do not effectively repel liquids and moisture and therefore allow the carpets to become stained. Additionally, many of these carpet paddings are relatively heavy, which increases shipping costs, which are ultimately passed down to the consumer.
As such, there is a need for a carpet padding that avoids these disadvantages. Specifically, the carpet padding should not deteriorate with normal use over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The use of the carpet padding should not result in the carpet moving up and down so much that the backing of the carpet breaks down prematurely. The carpet padding should not contain any chemicals (e.g., volatile organic compounds such as BHT) that have adverse effects on the carpet or that are environmentally unfriendly. The carpet padding should make the carpet feel more comfortable and should act as a shock absorber for the carpet. The carpet padding should be resilient, sturdy, and tear resistant over an extended period of time (e.g., up to about 20 years, up to about 10 years, or up to about 5 years). The carpet padding should effectively repel liquids and moisture. The carpet padding should extend the life of the carpet and should effectively insulate the floor. The carpet padding should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, especially on a commercial (e.g., kilogram) scale.